The invention pertains to a method and apparatus for measuring bedload properties and in particular to methods and apparatus for determining the bedload thickness employing standing wave measurements.
Sediment transport nearshore has been the subject of extensive studies. Known measurement techniques are not sufficiently precise, by at least an order of magnitude, to achieve engineering and scientific objectives. See for example a report by Allen entitled Nearshore Sediment Transport, Geographical Review, 78: 148-157 (1988).
Mass transport is the product of mass (M) times velocity (V) of sediments. The accurate measurement of sediment thickness (.tau.) is a first step towards characterizing mass transport. While the transport velocity field may be measured by other means, it is necessary to determine the total mass of the moving sediment. The total mass is a function .phi. bedload thickness, porosity, and density.